Review

The artwork for The Lillingtons' Death By Television looks more like the cover of an EC science fiction comic than it does a punk rock album. However, the art is a perfect representation of the album's sound. Surely full of "thrills" and "terror," and with numerous references to fictional characters drawn from sci-fi comic books, novels, and movies (Apeman, Saucermen, etc.), Death By Television is pure fun from start to finish.

Due to the lyrical themes and catchy and simplistic nature of the music on Death By Television, the Misfits come to mind as an obvious influence of The Lillingtons’ sound. Certain lines sound as if they could have come straight out of Danzig’s notebook, such as, “They’ll chop you into pieces and put you in a sack,” and there is even a song about Halloween. However, unlike the Misfits’ case, there is an overlying air of comedy to the horror stories which adds to the novelty of the album in a great way.

Repetitive, catchy, and short songs make the album an easy listen, and the all too familiar power chord and upbeat vocal combination is well in place. You’re the Only One, a song that strays a bit from the album’s sci-fi theme, is everything that a punk sing-along should be: heartfelt, energetic, and catchy enough to be remembered after one listen. Another highlight of the album, I Need Some Brain Damage, is a self-depreciative, “f**k work” anthem for the lazy and tired, and the opening lines, “Don’t wanna wake up at 6:15, don’t wanna go to work at the Dairy Queen” will instantly make your day a little less shitty.

While there is nothing particularly “wrong” with the album, due to its simple and repetitive nature, it does tend to lose some of its novelty after repeated listens. However, the sci-fi lyrics put a nice twist on otherwise traditional punk songs, and still manage to make the album more interesting than most similar efforts. The Lillingtons are a perfect example of a band who excel at making music because they do not take themselves too seriously, and they are not trying to fit a mold; therefore, Death By Television should be regarded as an essential modern punk album, and it will remain as such until a war of the worlds ends life and punk rock as we know it.